The Tipping Point

I agree Gracesgran , this government is determined to privatise both

You are so right, and it is being done so quietly and so stealthily no one seems to realise what is happening. It is only when you look at all the measures that have been quietly introduced and what has resulted that you realise both services will soon be declared unworkable.

Academies are also having problems with filling teaching vacancies. Privatisation won't be the answer the government seems to hope it will be.

It has always been the case that as soon as there is a Conservative Government there are problems with the NHS and Education. Yes, Gracesgran, I think you are right. We are on the very slippery slope to privatisation in both areas. It will be to the detriment of the nation. It reminds me of Joni Mitchell and the words from 'Big Yellow Taxi'
"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
‘Til it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot."

I hope the voters who supported the Libdems in 2010 and switched to the Tories in 2015 now realise their mistake.

Well it might have helped if Nick Clegg hadn't been such a drip - they don't seem to be making much of a comeback either.

Is it more important what the Lib Dems did or does it matter what is happening now? The Conservatives have been in power for six years; David Cameron has been Prime Minister for all that time and look what they are doing to our most esteemed institutions. The Conservatives are the driving force of this. If it was a business we would call it asset striping as they are striping out the main assets - the dedicated people in both the NHS and education.

I agree Gracesgran - it is frightening what is happening to our country. It is even more frightening that some people are still defending the selling off of almost every public service/asset.

Eloethan I agree - either I am paranoid or people just cannot see what is happening under their noses.

None so blind than those who do not wish to seen

And there are some who can afford private health care and pay school fees so no worries for them

I agree with all the above. What I just cannot understand is why ordinary working people vote Conservative. The Conservatives pretend to care for children, the sick, the mentally ill, those who can't get or hold down a job for whatever reason, but it is all pretence. They only respect the rich, who they kowtow to in order to ensure donations to their party. In unguarded moments they refer to ordinary people as "oicks"; there is a deep seated attitude of contempt for the working class which is only too evident. They guard their privilege and ensure their offspring stay on top by educating them privately and getting them in to the best universities, however thick they are. The sooner we see the back of this lot the better.

Labour MP's do that as well. Pay for private health care, guard their wealth after death and most hypocritical of all educate their children privately! Stand up Diane Abbott!!

I agree with you gracesgran and with the posters above, with the exception of the one poster who drags in Diane Abbott as though that individual's behaviour somehow mitigates or justifies the way this government is destroying our public services.

The government has a mandate of 12 (please correct me if I have that wrong). If that is the case, how come they can destroy at will. Where is the voice of the opposition parties. Is it possible the government could begin to lose votes in parliament or is that too much to hope for.

No, just pointing out that it isn't only wicked Tory's who plumb fo private education for their children, private health care or who guard their tax liabilities to preserve family money. Sorry if this offends, but you know it's true, not just D.A but apparently JC top. I find this quite appalling! What was wrong with the local Comp for his children? Perhaps the education didn't come up to scratch no excuse at all for somebody so principled.

So if he chooses something different for his children does that necessarily mean he isn't committed to a decent public education system and if someone has private health care that they don't believe in a proper NHS. Of course not. However if you cut bursaries for nurses, restrict them coming in from other countries, threaten junior doctors and drive them from the country, introduce expensive top-down reforms which don't work and flog schools off to the highest bidder you are blatantly destroying the NHS and the education system. Throwing mud at someone else doesn't stop the tiger that is just about to pounce and tear you to pieces. It is wicked Tories who are doing these things.

Who is JC top?

Sorry niggly, just realised you said JC too.

Did you know his marriage broke up because his wife wanted their son to attend a grammar school but Corbyn didn't agree and wanted his son to attend the local comp ?

Niggly you are just setting up a straw man argument as so often happens on these threads. You throw out something you know people will not agree with in order to distract from the original discussion. This is about how the Conservative government - with a debatable mandate of just over a quarter of potential voters are driving both the NHS and education into the ground in order to privatise them. What is your view of that?

Yes. I knew that, but why didn't he put his foot down? One of them had to. I think the local comp was failing, so you can't blame her for not wanting her son to go there, but for someone on the far left it didn't look good, one rule for an MP, another for the plebs who had no other choice! But it's a bit par for the course on all sides of the House of Commons, so no real surprise!

So you like masterful men nigglynellie? You think the father should have more say over their childrens education than the mother. You condem Diane Abbot for choosing not to send her son to the local comp yet condem Corbyn for choosing the local comp. double standards niggly, yours not theirs

Hang in niggly, if you knew the marriage broke up because of different views on schooling and you say Corbyn wanted to send his son to a failing school, why did you say but apparently JC too when you were condeming Diane Abbot?

I didn't expect to see 'why didn't he put his foot down' when speaking of a marriage on this forum

Niggly I asked why your reply was to the original point?

... "and answer came there none"

I am quite shocked by the 'why didn't he put his foot down '